1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to the fabrication of composite structures, and deals more particularly utilizing partially cured composite laminate parts.
2. Background
Composite laminate parts may be joined together by adhesive bonding, co-bonding or co-curing. In the case of adhesive bonding and co-bonding, at least one of the parts requires adequate surface preparation and proper adhesive selection in order to achieve the desired bonding quality. The need for surface preparation and elimination of surface contaminants increases manufacturing costs, and the use of bonding adhesives adds undesired weight to part assemblies. Manufacturing costs are also increased by the need to provide tooling for supporting the uncured parts during the joining process. These issues reduce the options available for efficient staging of manufacturing processes. It would therefore be desirable to provide more alternatives for assembly, joining and/or curing, and process sequencing.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.